SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Barry Bonds returned to the San Francisco Giants on Monday because of the Rockies.

OK, it wasn't all the Rockies' doing, but Bonds' conversation with Triple-A Colorado Springs manager Glenallen Hill and work with outfielder Dexter Fowler nudged baseball's home run king back into a uniform.

Looking much slimmer and happier than during his playing days, Bonds said that "without a doubt" he belongs in the Hall of Fame, didn't admit to any past use of performance-enhancing drugs and insisted he is coaching for enjoyment, not to rehabilitate his image. He will work with the Giants' hitters for a week as a guest instructor.

"I hope they feel excited," Bonds said. "We can do a lot together. It was like me with Willie (Mays). You didn't have to ask me to go pick Willie's brain. I just did it. I probably didn't get all the answers I wanted, but he made it challenging. I have this philosophy: Two eyes are great, but four eyes are better if you have them. Utilize them."

Bonds held an amicable 25-minute news conference, a far cry from his combative sessions as he passed Hank Aaron to become baseball's home run king.

Bonds predicted that someone would break his record of 762 homers — his last was hit off Ubaldo Jimenez at Coors Field on Sept. 5, 2007 — but he didn't discuss Alex Rodriguez, who was positioned to break it before he was banned for the 2014 season because of his connection to PEDs.

"I already went to court and that's where I'll leave it," said Bonds, who was convicted of obstruction in 2011 for giving evasive testimony to a federal grand jury during an investigation of doping in sports.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the "time was right" for Bonds to help the team. The former seven-time MVP admitted that a call from Hill triggered the process. Fowler talked with Bonds and flew to California to work with him. Fowler was traded in December by the Rockies to the Houston Astros for pitcher Jordan Lyles and outfielder Brandon Barnes.

Barry Bonds is happy to be back with the Giants as a guest instructor. (The Associated Press)

"I said as long as you're willing to put in the work, I'll be there for you. It was a very good start for me. We have a good relationship," Bonds said of Fowler. "It's like I told him: I can't promise you anything. It takes time. Hopefully I'll be here doing this a lot and won't have too much time."

When he was a player, Bonds was reluctant to share his insights. He had his own batting practice pitcher for years and rarely let teammates in on his secrets to hitting.

"You're not going to know anything I do when I'm playing. It was never personal," Bonds said. "I treated it like a business."

Former Rockies Todd Greene and Mark Sweeney were among the few players he offered advice.

"His knowledge is off the charts," Greene said Monday. "When he wants to communicate, he's very charismatic."

Added Sweeney: "He's a superstar who can teach. Not many can."

Bonds, 49, said he's not concerned about critics or those questioning his motives. He simply plans to use this week to determine if he's cut out to be a coach.

"I have to learn them. But that will never take me longer than a minute," Bonds said. "All we have to do is go in the batting cage and I'll tell you everything that is going on very fast."

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